


Cool touch

by orphan_account



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:48:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21982441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Anon prompt for Malcolm's temper, permission to use Brightwell exploited to a romantic comedy degree.  My apologies.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 17
Kudos: 93





	Cool touch

“Gil? Can we talk?”

Gil waves Dani into his office giving her the international hand signal for the person on the other line not shutting up. Dani sits in front of Gil’s desk twisting a ring up and down her finger as he attempts to end his call. A few minutes pass. Dani begins to lose her courage, and waves off Gil about to walk out.

“Listen, I have to go, police emergency.”

Gil hangs up, and Dani turns on her heel heading to back to her seat. She looks at him. She loses her words, and looks away from him. Gil comes around his desk, and places his hand on her shoulder.

“Talk to me,” Gil presses her, sitting down on the front of his desk as Dani continues to struggle.

“Malcolm, he’s not himself,” Dani hopes Gil will understand, but he looks at her with confusion coloring his kind face.

“Ever since we found him. It’s like he’s a fuse just waiting to be lit.”

Gil jumps off his desk closing the window blinds as he spots Malcolm looking in on them.

He rings his hands as he heads back over to her.

“Since we found him, he tries to pretend he’s fine. Whatever Lazar did to him, he’s suffering, and he won’t talk. Not to me, not to anyone.”

Gil looks at her with love. He can see how much Dani cares for Malcolm, and it makes his heart swell.

“Gabrielle?”

“I think, I saw him go in on Tuesday. He hasn’t been back.”

“You’re tailing him?”

“A little,” Dani admits with a smirk. Her joy is short lived as her thoughts find their way back to him.

“Did something happen? What are you not telling me?”

Dani looks into his eyes hesitating, the question seems ridiculous.

“Does Malcolm have a temper?”

Gil closes his eyes fearing Malcolm lost control.

“Did he hurt you?”

“NO, nothing like that. Swanson, she keeps baiting him. I can see how angry he is, it is building right beneath the surface.”

“I’ll talk to him-“

“You can see what Swanson is doing right? She wants the NYPD to fire him too. She wants to destroy him.”

“I was just on the phone with her superior, she will be out of our hair in a few days.”

“Send him home Gil. He’s going to lose it. Please.”

“I can’t, the FBI still needs to interview him.”

Dani swears under her breath.

“He wouldn’t go anyways. Gil, what can I do?”

Gil shuts his eyes in thought. Trying to remember the story as it happened.

Time has a way of wearing down, and dulling the emotions we feel during our darkest moments. Not this time. Just the thought of that night sends a familiar shot of panic down his spine.

“It was a few months after we caught the surgeon. I stayed in touch with Mrs. Whitly, and Malcolm,” his voice wavers on his name, and he clears his throat.

“Jessica was so worried about him. He wasn’t eating. He was isolating himself,” Gil gets up pouring himself a drink. He offers her a glass, and she declines.

“Kids were picking on him at school. He lost it. Broke a kid’s nose, and jaw before they got him off of him. Jessica called that evening. She had been drinking, and I couldn’t understand her. I decided to head over there. I went past a frantic Jessica looking for him, but he was gone. They had fought, and he took off. The whole town searched for him.”

Gil finishes off his glass in one gulp.

“Some of the volunteer searches found him in the woods. He had hyperthermia, and was unresponsive for week. He had a knife with him, and some superficial cuts on his wrists.”

Dani’s eyes ache as she fights against tears. Gil refills his glass.

“They put him in a psych ward. I couldn’t see him for months. When I did see him, he was a shadow. It took a long time to get him back. Please stay with him. Make him talk. He’ll push you away, but push him back. If he loses it with Swanson, I can’t protect him from the fallout.”

“When is his interview?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

_________________________________________________

Dani can feel Malcolm’s eyes on her when she leaves Gil’s office. She ignores him, and heads into the breakroom.

She fills up the electric kettle, and searches for Malcolm’s hidden canister of earl grey. She thinks she can feel it behind the sugar.

“I moved it,” Malcolm says opening another cabinet. Dani flinches. “I swear to G*d I am putting a bell on you Bright.”

Malcolm smiles, loading up a narwhal shaped diffuser with loose tea leaves.

“I had to hide it. Those FBI lackeys keep stealing our stash,” Malcolm throws the narwhal in for a swim into the bubbling kettle.

“That’s not ready yet- “

“Uh huh, what are you and Gil up to?”

Dani sighs and makes herself comfortable on top of one of the breakroom tables.

“Not everything is about you Malcolm.”

Malcolm adds just the right amount of sugar to her cup, and stirs it carefully. He lets it sit and cool while he makes him own cup.

“Careful,” he warns her as she takes the cup in both her hands.

“Thank you,” she blows into the cup, and he sits with his legs dangling off the opposite table.

“We’re friends now, right Dani?”

Dani rolls her eyes taking a bigger sip of her tea than she should have. She coughs.

“Don’t be stupid Bright.”

“I’m a lot of things Dani, and stupid is not one of them. I know I have been..off since-“ Malcolm’s hand tremors, and he puts the cup down with little damage. Dani puts her cup down, and leans forward.

“Please talk to me Malcolm. I know you are hurting, and I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”

Dani sees his face fall before he is able to paint a smile back. Dani doesn’t let him hide, and hops off the table moving between his legs. He is taken aback by her closeness, and she grabs both his hands placing them behind her. He has a sharp intake of breath as she wraps her arms around him. He responds by pulling her so close he can feel cool skin through her thin blouse. He wonders if she runs cold or if he runs hot.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Swanson interrupts heading to the coffee maker. Dani lifts her head off his chest, and places her hand there with a bit of force.

“Is your personal Tassimo Machine not working Collette?”

“Well someone, maybe your boyfriend over there, stabbed all the creamer disks like a friggin’ lunatic.”

“That’s awful,” Dani quips, Malcolm’s eyes flash at Dani and he knows who the lunatic is. He is almost proud.

“Careful around him detective Powell. He’s as cute as a puppy until he bites.”

Dani can feel his heart beat quicken, and she looks back at him. She can see a flash in his eyes as he stares angerly at Collette.

“Collette, you made the mistake, not me. When can I finish paying for it?” Malcolm hops off the table, and Dani moves between them.

“Malcolm,” Dani backs him against the table. She pulls his face toward her, and it takes a minute for him to focus on her. For his eyes to soften slightly. Swanson laughs to herself on her way out.

Dani follows quickly locking the door behind her.

“Dani- “

“No, Malcolm. We’re staying here until you calm down.”

“I’m fine, I’m calm.”

Dani puts her hands on her hips blowing out dramatically.

“Your words say you’re calm, but your face doesn’t.” Dani gently cups his face, “Malcolm, Swanson wants you to lose it.” Malcolm shuts his eyes. He knows she’s right.

“She found out who my father was at Quantico. It has been her personal mission to make my life miserable since then. She made a bad call on one of our first missions. I covered for her. I tried to cover for her.”

“Malcolm, whatever she thinks you did..who your father is does not define you. I know you, you are one of the good ones.”

Dani looks down shyly as he stares back with his endless ocean eyes. She begins to swivel her ring.

He looks down at her fingers, and smirks. He gently takes her hand, and pushes her rings back into place with a turn. He was use to her twisting them up and down her slender fingers when she was anxious. He lets his fingers intertwine with hers. Her fingers tremble in his, another thing they had in common. She looks at him, and her breath hitches.

A knock at the door. Malcolm let’s go of her hand, and she misses his warmth. A key turn, and Gil sticks his head in. He makes sure his eyes are to the floor as he speaks.

“You can’t lock the breakroom. The union is having a G*d damn sh*t fit. I don’t know which one of you messed with Swanson’s creamers, BUT I’M GONNA USE MY YELLING VOICE SO SHE THINKS I’M GIVING IT TO YOU. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. Look ashamed when you leave here. Also, Malcolm’s interview has been moved up to 4pm today.”

Dani looks at the wall clock. “What, why?”

“Creamers,” Gil deadpans leaving them alone.

_____________________________________________

Gil waits for the coast to clear before leading Dani through a door she always thought was a closet. Dani’s eyes adjust to the lack of light, and she can see Malcolm across the table from Swanson. A slight glare reflects off the double pained mirror.

Gil hands Dani a headset, and motions for her to be quiet.

“So, tell me Mr. Whitly, what events lead you to be taken by Paul Lazar? Clearly you were disobeying orders by working the junkyard killer case on your own.”

Malcolm crosses his arms over his chest. His face stoic.

“Might I remind you that if you refuse to answer me - “

“What? What else can you do to me?”

“I can tell your girlfriend about the girl in the box.”

The color drains from his face as he takes a direct hit. She smiles to herself.

“I could tell your dear old chief daddy how you helped. You helped the surgeon, and Lazar kill her.”

Malcolm’s hand trembles, and Dani places her hand against the glass, and the other over her mouth. Gil’s leg bounces nervously as Swanson continues to drive a stake into his heart. Gil had some idea of what she meant. Malcolm was beginning to remember being groomed. Gil knew, and had hoped the cocktail of drugs Martin kept him on for control had erased it from his memory. Dani cries as she sees Malcolm struggle. Her finger tips tremble against the glass.

“Stop,” he begs. She continues.

“I think you liked it Malcolm. You are just like him, aren’t you?”

“Shut up.”

Malcolm’s tone makes Dani look back at Gil in fear.

“You are a killer.”

It happens in a flash, Malcolm is out of his chair, and standing over her before the guards Swanson placed outside the entrance could make it.

She looks behind him panicked, and he moves toward her. She flinches when he pushes her back down into her chair. He is not rough, but she acts as if he is.

“No, now it’s my turn.”

His tone is serious, and it seems to get her attention. Swanson stops fighting him, and waves the two guards approaching them off.

“You never were a very good profiler Swanson. If you were you’d know what my father did. What he made me do. I was a child.” Malcolm’s voice breaks and he hates himself for it.

Swanson feels a ping of guilt for the smaller version of this psycho. It passes.

“I get it. You had to fight to get into Quantico. I was scouted. I was not, nor was I ever your enemy Agent Swanson.”

“The reason you are such a good profiler is you can think like a killer.”

“Yeah, and it’s cost me. I don’t sleep, I’ve lost friends, my job, love- “

“I’ve heard enough Bright. Whitly.” She quickly corrects herself.

“Good, I’m done talking anyways.”

“This interview isn’t over until I say it is.”

The door opens, and someone motions for Swanson.

He hears her arguing, and can’t make out what is said.

He sits at the table placing his head in his hands. He tries to calm down.

He thinks of Dani. He wonders if she knew what he had done. What he was capable of. Would she look at him different? Like a monster? Would she pity him as the only surviving victim of the surgeon?

His skin feels clammy, his mouth is dry as Swanson returns.

“Thanks to your nosy chief daddy, we only have a few minutes left together.”

“My father started drugging me around the age of 8. I had flashes. Memories? Before things went dark. My mother didn’t notice.”

Swanson sits back.

“There was nothing in the report about drugs- “

“Of course, there wasn’t. Shannon saw to that. While you were winning spelling bees, my father was drugging me-GROOMING me to commit atrocities I couldn’t even fathom.” Malcolm’s voice betrays him, and he no longer cares. He hopes this will be the last of her. At least for a while.

Swanson blinks a few times, maybe finally doing the math. There it is. Pity. He longs for her hate.

He is so grateful when Gil bursts in letting her know time was up. She clumsily gathers some pictures she had scattered in front of him.

“No, Let me Collette.” Gil quickly gathers her things, and pushes her out of the room.

Malcolm hears the door catch on someone’s hand, and he looks up to find Dani staring at him from the doorframe. Her nose is red, and her eyes are bloodshot.

“We’re you crying?”

“No, shut up.” Dani says sitting in the chair opposite from him.

“Are you allergic to honesty? Cause you look like you are allergic to the truth.” He pokes her nose with his index finger. She scrunches her nose up.

“So, you know the door, the utility closet?” Malcolm’s face falls as he realizes what she means.

“You heard? You can run. If I was you, I’d take off running.”

“I thought you said you weren’t stupid. I wouldn’t run. You have a runner’s body. I’d be done for.

Malcolm smirks at her. Dani didn’t look at him with pity, but with a sincere understanding. With love.

He admires one of her curls, and she snaps her fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

“Can we go please? I don’t know how many people could be watching us right now, and I want to kiss you.”

“Hot-” Malcolm moves around the table leaning over her.

“I will shoot you.”

“Worth it.”

Malcolm kisses her. She kisses his back tenderly. He breaks away,

“Do you want to-“

Before he can finish, she kisses him again. He moans into her mouth. She stops abruptly.

“Leave? Together?”

“Leave together, and eat food-together?”

“If this is how you ask girls out, I know why love evades you.”

Malcolm smiles at her, and it reaches his eyes. She misses his smile.

“Is that a yes?”

Dani nods, and his face lights up.

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't even read through this cause it's late. Forgive my idiocy at this unG*dly hour.


End file.
